Method of packing shingles and machine therefor



(No Model.)

G. H. M ]E:GQUIER.. METHOD OF PACKING SHINGLES AND MACHINE THEREFOR.

No. 495,424. Patented'Apr. 11, 1893.

Ina/3222 02: 50. L, M/Qffillq I p A41 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. MEGQUIER, OF ANACORTES, WASHINGTON.

METHOD OF PACKING SHINGLES AND MACHINE THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 495,424, dated April 11, 1893. Application filed February 15, 1893. Serial No. 462,476. (No model.)

,to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention consists of a novel method of packing shingles and a machine for packing them in this form. The shingles packed by my method form a bunch which is much longer than the usual bunch and in which there is a series of layers of shingles having their butts all one way, thus making the bunch in cross section a truncated pyramid and as broad as a shingle is long.

The machine consists of a box in which to lay the shingles, a set of guide strips upon which the shingles are laid at one end and slid to the other, and the mechanism by which these strips are raised when the layer is completed and then falls back in readiness for the next layer.

There are other details of mechanism, all of which will be fully described.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of my machine with some of the front removed to more clearly show the remainder. Fig. 2 is an end elevation with the end pieces removed for a similar purpose. Fig. 3 is a detail of the mechanism for releasing the wheel C, and for automatically counting the layers of shingles and giving an alarm when the right number is in place. Fig. 4 is a side view of one of the compressing fingers. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of abunch of shingles packed in this manner, and Fig. 6 aperspective of the same. Fig. 7 is a detail showing a cross section of the guides D.

Mounted upon a suitable frame work and at such a height as will be most convenient, is a box, shaped as the bunch of shingles is to be when packed. The sides of this box A. and A slope away from and toward the operator thus having one corner down. The end piece A is placed only at one end of the box. It is here shown as at the left end which is where it would be fora right handed operator but might be placed so that the machine could be operated from the otherendforaleft handed man or if any other circumstance required it. This box is not a fixed part of the machine but rests in a similar shaped cradle O, 0, built in the machine. The object of this is that the man who packs the shingles may not have to stop to bind them but that the box A, and the bunch of shingles contained therein may be taken off of the machine and replaced by an empty-box while another man does the binding. I have shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, the end 0, of the cradle as being hinged at its lower edge so that thebox A. may be slid out at that end instead of havingto lift it out. This hinged end would be fastened by a hook and catch as shown or any other convenient means. Instead of making the box with three sides,or rather two sides,and an end as shown, it may be made with only two sides, being in fact a sort of trough in which the shingles are to be placed. Fastened to the frame above and back of this box are two guides, D, which are in cross section as shown in Fig. 7, and are pivoted near their middle at D. Sliding within these guidesis the frame composed of the end pieces 13, B, bars B,B, and

braces B This is composed of thin wooden slats in order that it may be light. The bars B,B', may have their upper surfaces covered with thin sheet metal in order to make a better sliding and wearing surface for the shin gles to slide upon. Attached to the lower bar B, at its center is a small leather strap or cord B This passes up and around a pulley O, and then down and around the pullev" C, to which the end is fixed. This pulley is attached to the shaft 0 in such a manner that it may be released therefrom and turn freely thereon. Attached to the'shaft C is the small pulley G which carries a strap which is also attached to one end of a lever 0 the other end of the lever resting upon the floor. When the lever 0 is pressed down by the foot it will rotate the shaft 0 and winding up the strap B will raise the slats B, out of the box A. The Wheel 0, is loose upon the shaft 0 but carries on its side a dog F. Alongside of this pulley and fixed to the shaft is the disk or pulley (3 having a notch in its periphery which engages the dog F, and thus rotates the pulley C. A spring F presses the dog toward the periphery of the disk 0 F. is a stop which is attached to the frame of the machine and projects into the path of travel of the inner endof the dog. Now when the shaft and its disk C are rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, the pulley O, is carried along and the belt wound up. WVhen it has made nearly a full revolution the inner end of the dog strikes the stop F, and is thereby raised out of the notch in the disk 0 and the pulley immediately turns backward, beingimpelled thereto by the weight of the sliding frame. The stop F, also acts as a positive stop to its rotation in this direction. The shaft C is rotated backward and the lever raised by the coiled spiral spring (1, which is attached at one end to the pulley (J and at the other end to a block 0 which forms a bearing for the shaft.

At the upper edge of the packing box at A the bottom is dropped to permit of the insertion of one of the straps for binding the bunch together. If the shingles are not to be bound upon the machine, this will not be necessary.

Passing along the rear side of the machine is the shaft E. This shaft has three eccentrics upon it, one near each end and one near the middle. Upon these eccentrics are the hooked compressing fingers E When not in use these compressing fingers are thrown up vertical. When a bunch is to be compressed they are brought down upon the tips of the shingles and the binding strip with which they engage. The shaft E, has a lever or crank arm E attached and this is connected to the foot lever E by the rod E \Vhen the compressing fingers E are in place the bundle is compressed by stepping upon thelever E and it is then nailed. If the bunch is not to be bound on the machine this mechanism may of course be omitted. In this case as soon as the bunch has been packed the end 0, is dropped and the filled box is pushed out upon a slide way of some sort.

In order that it may not be necessary to waste time in counting the layers of shingles,

I have put on an automatic counter and alarm which will ring a bell at the commencement of the last layer. The operator will be thereby warned that the bunch is about completed and will proceed to remove it or bind it as soon as that layer is completed and without wasting any time. This mechanism is shown in Fig. 3. Adjacent to the wheel 0.,is pivoted a ratchet wheel I, which has as many teeth as there are to be layers of shingles in the bunch, or as I have made it, twenty-one notches. The same center carries the pawl lever H. This lever besides carrying the pawl H carries another lever 11, which in reality, forms with the lever H, a compound hinged lever. A stop H prevents them from yielding in one direction, and a'spring H both holds the pawl H in engagement with the ratchet wheel and the stop H against the side of the lever H. A stop H, prevents the levers from moving more than a certain distance in one direction while a spring H holds them against the stop. The outer end of the lever H, projects into the path of the pin F or some convenient projection on the wheel 0. When the wheel 0, revolves in the direcof the arrow it will bend the arm H, but will not operate the pawl. On its return movement, however, it will engage the lever and move it forward until it has passed out of the arc of its movement. This will advance the ratchet wheel one notch. Upon the ratchet wheel is a pin or projection 1 so placed as to engage the end of a lever I, which carries a spring hammer. Once in each revolution this will engage and throw back this lever which upon being released will strike the bell I, thus giving the alarm.

The wheel I, may be connected to a further counting mechanism which will register the number of bunches packed and thus keep a record of the number of shingles packed on any machine.

The operation of the machine is as follows: An empty packing box is inserted in its place on the cradle, the sliding frame B, B, is let down until its lower bar rests in the angle at the bottom as shown in Fig. 2. The machine is supposed to stand where the right hand end is convenient to the supply of shingles. The shingles are placed, butts down, upon the bars B, at the right hand or nearest end. This is the open end of the box and where the operator will stand. As the shingle is placed upon the bars B, by the left hand, it is at the same time slid to the left or farther end of the box while with the right hand the operator picks up the next shingle which is transferred to the left hand and by it placed as was the first. In this way the shingles are placed until the layer fills the box when the lever 0 is depressed by the foot which by the mechanism described raises the sliding frame out of the box. As the layer of shingles which has been placed upon the bars B, is resting at an angle it will not be disturbed thereby, the bars B, being simply pulled from under them, allowing them to drop to the bottom of the box. The releasing mechanism shown in Fig. 3, allows thebars B to drop immediately they have reached their uppermost position. As they come down they strike on top of the layer of shingles which are in the box and slide upon themto the bottom of the box. Another layer of shingles is placed upon the bars in the same n1anner and then allowed to drop upon the preceding layer by withdrawing the bars asbefore described. This process is kept up until sufficient layers of shingles to make the required amount have been placed in the box when the shingles are bound on the machine or the box removed for binding, and replaced by an-empty box. The guides D, being pivoted and having their pivots placed above the point of intersection of the two sides of the completed bunch, the bars will always strike on top of the shingles. The pivoting of the guides allows them to change their direction to correspond to the constant change of angle of the layers of shingles as the bunch is built up. Attached to the frame is the stop A which prevents their lower ends from dropping too far. The bunch of shingles packed in this manner will have the appearance shown in Figs. 5 and 6. 1f the shingles are not to be bound on the machine the filled boxis removed and an empty one putin its place. If they are to be bound on the machine one of the binding strips 3,withits three bands4, 4, and 5 attached,

see Fig. 6, is placed in the recess A before commencing packing. When the packing has been completed the sliding frame is raised in its guides and then tilted to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The second binding strip 3, is then placed on top of the shingles at their tips and the compressing fingers E Eibrought forward upon it and the tips of the shingles compressed thereby and the two binding strips fastened by nailing the bands upon the second. For this purpose it is advisable to use a long nail which will go clear through the bunch of shingles andinto the strip upon the other side. As this will only go through the extreme tips of the shingles it will not in the least injure them and will make it impossible for the strips to come off the bunch. These binding strips are quite light and have a metal strip at each end of strips 2, 2, are not put on as yet.

the shingles looser than before.

the bunch and a third in the middle which passes-over the tips of the shingles as plainly shown in Fig. 6. The other set of binding The reason for this is as follows: The binding strips 3, 3, at the tips of the shingles are sufficient to hold the shingles securely for any ordinary handling. As the bunch has been compressed at the tips, it results in making the butts of Each layer of shingles will be slightly separated from the next. In this loose condition of the butts the shingles are stacked up in the dry house. In consequence of this the air can penetrate to the very center of the bunch and the shingles will dry out much quicker than they otherwise would. This increases the capacity of the dry house and also more thoroughly dries the shingles making them weigh less and making the freight rates per thousand lower. When the shingles are placed in the dry house, the lower binding strips which have previously been fastened together by bands of the exact length necessary, are droppedloosely over the bunch. After they have been dried and before removing them from the dry house these lower or butt strips are driven down by a hammer thus tightening them just as a cooper-tightens a hoop on a cask. The cen-- tral band 7, is afterward nailed on just as was the band 5, except that short nails are used. The hunch is thus securely bound so that there is no possibility of its getting loose or falling to pieces,a thing of common occurrence with shingles put up in the ordinary manner.- The strap 5 may not be put on until after the bunch has been dried and the upper strip been similarly tightened. Indeed it may be omitted entirely and two or three long nails which will go entirely through and clinch on the other sidebe used instead.

In preparing the binding strips for the butts of the shingles the bands may be made of such a length that the strips will go to the edge ofthe bunch or short enough so that they will stop short of the edge. If the latterthey should stop a distance from the edge not less than the width of the tip strips. I By so placing the butt strips, when the bunches are piled upon each other the tip strips of one bunch will occupy the space outside of the butt strips of the bunch above and below,'instead of lying on top of the butt strips as would be the case were the butt strips at the edge of the bunch unless the bunch were moved a little to one side.

The shingles packed by this method will pack together with less waste space than is possible with the old style, are more convenient to handle and less liable to get loose. They can be dried lighter in the same time and can be packed faster. An active man who will pack thirty thousand. by the old method can pack sixty thousand with my machine. There are less joints to make, being twenty-one by my method and fifty by the old. It is not necessary for him to watch constantly where he is laying the shingles. He places them all in one place and then slides them along which makes it possible for him to give his attention to the other parts of the work, all of which makes the work more rapid. A bunch of shingles put up in this form is much more convenient to handle,,it being possible to pick it up with one hand by grasping it bythe two tip strips at their middle. They are also much more convenient for the carpenter when he is laying'them as the butts are all one way and he has them all close at hand.

Most shingles are sixteen inches long, but some are eighteen. To accommodate my machine to both sizes, the recess A in the removable box is made low enough down for the shorter length when the shingles are to be removed for binding. When they are to be bound before removing, the recess is made the proper distance from the opposite edge of the box for the longer size and then when packing the shorter size a two inch plank is put on the bottom side of the box so that the shingles will not drop as far and the tips be even with the top edge of the box.

WVhen the shingles are bound upon the machine the removable box is not necessary. In either case the end piece '0 should be hinged as shown at 0, so that the box or the shingle bunch may be slid out without'litting. In using the removable box it is well to not have the two side pieces of the cradle or box supports come together at the bottom angle but to be slightly separated so that any dirt get- Ito ting inwill fall through. This construction is shown in Fig. 2.

To raise the lever E and crank arm E, a spiral spring similar to C, may be used.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I 1. In a machine for packing shingles, the combination with a box or form similar in size and shape toabunch. of shingles, of guide or supporting bars and means by which they may be withdrawn, allowing the shingles to drop into place and then returned in position for receiving the next layer of shingles, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a machine for packing shingles, the combination with a box or form similar in size and shape to a bunch of shingles, of supporting strips for receiving a layer of shingles, means for withdrawing these strips and allowing the shingles to drop into place, and means for disengaging these strips from the withdrawing mechanism as soon as they are clear of the shingles, thus permitting them to return to their place at once, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a machine for packing shingles, the combination with a removable box having two sides and an end and similar in shape to a bunch of shingles, a cradle for the same, of supporting fingers for receiving the shingles and means for withdrawing them from under the shingles and returning them on top of the same, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a machine for packing shingles, the combination with the removable box, a cradle or form for holding it having the hinged end piece 0', of guide and supporting bars B, for receiving the shingles, and means for withdrawing the same from under the shingles and immediately returning them in place for receiving the next layer, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a machine for packing shingles, the combination with the box or form for holding the shingles, of the sliding frame B, B, guides D, and means for moving the frame up in the guides and then letting it drop again, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a machine for packing shingles, the combination with the box or form for holding the shingles and the sliding frame, of the guides D, pivoted near their center and mechanism whereby the sliding frame is raised in the guides D, and then dropped upon the shingles, substantially as shown and described.

7. In a machine for packing shingles, the combination with the box or form for holding the shingles the sliding frame B, B, and guides D, of the strap B attached to the sliding frame, guide pulley C, pulley O, to which the strap is attached and means for rotating said pulley C, and thus lifting the sliding frame, substantially as shown and described.

8. In a machine for packing shingles, the combination with the box or form for holding the shingles, the sliding frame B, B, guides D, and strap B attached thereto, of the guide pulley O, pulley C, to which the strap is also attached and means for rotating said pulley O, and means for releasing it from the rotating mechanism when the frame has reached the proper height, substantially as shown and described.

9. In a machine for packing shingles, the combination with the box or form for holding the shingles, supporting fingers for receiving the shingles, and means for withdrawing them from under the sameand then returning them to the top of the bunch, of automatic mechanism operated thereby which will sound an alarm at the beginning of the last layer, substantially as shown and described.

10. In a machine for packing shingles, the combination with the box or form for holding the shingles, supporting bars therein for receiving the same, and means for withdrawing these bars and returning them to their place, of a compressing device which will compress one edge of the bunch for binding, substantially as shown and described.

11. The method of packing shingles which consists in first placing a layer of shingles with their butts all one way, superimposing upon this another layer having the butts in the same direction and so continuing until the bunch contains the desired number of shingles, then placing binding strips on opposite sides at the tips and securing them by bands, then drying the shingles while the butts are loose and then securing the butts by similar binding strips, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H. MEGQUIER. Witnesses:

G. K. HIATT, H. L. REYNOLDS. 

